Do you identify as having a learning disability? Are you tired of the lack of resources and creative materials coming from people with learning disabilities? This project is aimed at creating the space for people with learning disabilities to share their experiences, and to highlight experiences that do not get reflected in mainstream writing or research. This zine came out of a conversation we had which got us thinking that it would be really powerful to initiate a community-based anthology project featuring writing and artwork from people with learning disabilities. We would like this anthology to focus on experiences beyond a school setting, specifically featuring marginalized voices, as most writing on learning disabilities comes either from health and education professionals and/or from those with the economic privilege and power to access things like official diagnoses and specialized services.

It is extremely difficult to find first-hand accounts or writing about the ways in which learning disabilities affect adults and circumstances beyond educational/academic contexts – let alone any writing from a radical or critical disability perspective We would like to see writing about what it’s like to build friendships, hold down a job, navigate romantic relationships, organize in activist settings, and build long-term and supportive community, as someone with NLD, or dyslexia, or ADHD, or any other form of learning disability.

The zine will feature all different formats, and we will accept anything from artwork, photography, short stories, comics, poetry, interviews, essays, etc. Some of the topics we would like to see talked about in the zine are:

· The process of getting a formal diagnosis, not being able to access one, attempting to self-diagnose, or having a diagnosis non-consensually imposed on you;

· Racism and classism in western education systems, and how that relates to learning disabilities;

· The ways in which sometimes activists in organizing settings validate productivity-driven models as well as conventional learning and communication styles;

· Relationships between learning disabilities and self-esteem and self-worth;

· Reflecting on one’s past after finding out about learning disabilities later in life;

· What accessibility looks like in a work or organizing context, and how to ask for the support that you need;

· Mental heath, depression and anxiety as it relates to learning disabilities;

· Stories of learning to love and build relationships;

· Outing what’s behind unconventional social skills (i.e. doodling in a meeting might not be an indication that someone’s bored, but a way to stay focused);

· Stories about how learning disabilities relate to other identities or forms of oppression that someone experiences (not seeing things in a vacuum).

You can submit your piece by email to ldzinemtl@gmail.com. The deadline for submissions is AUGUST 1st. If you would like to submit a recorded testimonial, we can transcribe your piece. If you’d like to contribute, but feel like you need support in doing so, please get in touch, and we’d be more than happy to strategize with you.

This project is supported by the Union for Gender Empowerment’s summer stipend.